Springfield cooking school Pickwick & Cherry began selling tickets for its autumn class schedule on Aug. 29.
The season features more than 30 hands-on cooking and baking classes, according to a community announcement. Programming is scheduled through mid-November and includes date-night cooking experiences, baking workshops, lunch classes, youth programs and special events centered on food traditions from Europe, Latin America and the United States.
Among the additions are three French baking classes inspired by owner Katie Kring’s recent travels in France: “Next-Level French Pastries,” “French Confectionery Magic” and “Unsung Heroes of the French Bakery.”
“I travel with one suitcase nested inside another so I can come home with an entire extra
suitcase of things I found along the way,” Kring said in the announcement.
Kring said that cookbooks, ingredients and techniques discovered during those trips often influence future classes.
“Sometimes it’s something people can go out and buy, and sometimes it’s something I happened to pick up in one specific Bavarian salt mine and, no, you can’t have any — but you should still know it exists,” Kring said in the announcement.
Latin American classes expand with live music
Pickwick & Cherry’s Tuesday evening series has expanded beyond its original taco-focused format and now highlights dishes from several Latin American regions.
Instructor Santiago Posada, a violinist, composer and member of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, developed the four Tuesday menus. Posada is also scheduled to perform live violin during dinner service at each Tuesday class, with additional appearances planned at select lunch programs.
The series includes “Salsa & Strings,” “Cantina Clásica,” “South American Rhapsody” and a redesigned “Tacos Gone Global.”
Date nights, baking workshops and special events
The autumn date-night lineup includes “Georgian Supra,” “Silk Road,” “Bountiful Harvest,” “Uncorked Portuguese,” “Patagonian Adventure,” “Wild Ozarks,” “Proper British” and “Alpine Escape,” along with returning classes such as “Italian Countryside,” “Dinner on the Orient Express” and “Oktoberfest Feast.”
“Part of what we love doing is making room in the Ozarks for cuisines and regional food traditions people here may not otherwise have a chance to encounter,” Kring said in the announcement.
Baking offerings include “Sourdough Breads,” “The Art of Phyllo,” “Pretzel Baking,” “Croissants & Viennoiserie” and “Autumn Piemaking.”
Young bakers can participate in Halloween and Thanksgiving baking intensives scheduled on dates when Springfield Public Schools students are not in session. The programs feature a full day of baking projects.
A “Halfling Birthday Party” special event is planned for Sept. 22 and will include elevenses and second lunch.
Classes are designed as hands-on experiences in which participants prepare recipes alongside instructors before sharing the finished meal together.
Additional information and tickets are available at pickwickandcherry.com.
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This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Springfield cooking school unveils autumn class lineup
